Top Gear back soon

[DiscoMick]

Top Gear's big studio audience told to forget how show used to look | Television & radio | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/20/top-gears-big-studio-audience-told-forget-how-show-used-to-look)


So, Top Gear is coming back soon, presumably to a pay TV channel nearby, and I don't do illegal downloads, so who knows how long it will be before us plebs can afford to watch the new series.
Sounds like they might be making a reasonable effort to keep the best of the past while inventing a new version of the show.

[Eevo]

with out the guys it will fail

[steane]

I think they have the right three within their oversized group of presenters. When they pare it down to Matt, Sabine and Chris Harris they might find the magic formula again.

Chris Evans needs to be the first to go. Fans will dance in the street when that happens and it will happen.

Very, very difficult to replace Clarkson, Hammond and May but I think they were getting tired towards the end and the shows were lacking flare and imagination. Still better than any other car show has ever been though.

[p38arover]

The show was beyond its use-by date. I stopped watching it when it went to Ch 9. They stuffed around with it, deleting/shortening segments to fit the timeslot.

I haven't bothered with watching it on Foxtel. I tried a couple of times but it was the old build ridiculous cars, smash stuff up, drive exotic cars or tiny cars one would never want to own (or aren't available in Oz).

[p38arover]

I didn't realise they had Sabine - I assume the German girl who is very quick - even in a Transit van.

[Homestar]

Doubt it will work and I certainly won't be tuning in.

[DiscoMick]

I hope it does work. Better than much of the rubbish on TV.
Agree that SBS built it up here and then Ch. 9 ruined it, before it was shifted to pay TV, presumably for lots of money, and lost most Aussie viewers who don't pay for their TV.
The idea of three larrikins hooning around doing the things that many people would like to do, but never get the chance to try, has obvious appeal to the blokes in all of us, I think.

[sheerluck]

I'll happily give the new version a fair try. I must admit I think Chris Evans is an arse, but provided he doesn't get too much screen time ahead of the others, I won't mind too much.

It does help that I think Sabine Schmitz is easy on the eye. :angel:

[p38arover]

I'll happily give the new version a fair try. I must admit I think Chris Evans is an arse, but provided he doesn't get too much screen time ahead of the others, I won't mind too much

Maybe you're not the only one.

Matt LeBlanc rubbishes claims of Top Gear feud with Chris Evans | Media | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/24/matt-leblanc-rubbishes-claims-of-top-gear-feud-with-chris-evans)

[vnx205]

I didn't realise they had Sabine - I assume the German girl who is very quick - even in a Transit van.

Anyone who can drive a Transit van that quickly around Nurburgring deserves quite a bit of respect.

She is also better looking than Clarkson, May or Hammond. :p

[Homestar]

I hope it does work. Better than much of the rubbish on TV.
Agree that SBS built it up here and then Ch. 9 ruined it, before it was shifted to pay TV, presumably for lots of money, and lost most Aussie viewers who don't pay for their TV.
The idea of three larrikins hooning around doing the things that many people would like to do, but never get the chance to try, has obvious appeal to the blokes in all of us, I think.

The BBC took it back from 9 and cancelled the contract after they stuffed around with it too much. The only option they had at the time was to move it to thier paid service - BBC World as it was then out of SBS's price range.

[DiscoMick]

Mixed reviews on the new show.


https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/30/top-gear-readers-review-the-revamped-show

[landy]

Well I watched the first Top Gear last night. While I knew I was going to hate it, just because I really enjoyed the old show I thought I'd give it a good collage try. Overall the show, for the most part has tried to stick with the old format. But. It lacks the substance of the old show. But clearly thay are dammed if they do, dammd.....blah blah blah. And that was it. Blah!
Matt LaBlanc was ok. I'm not convinced he is the right choice for the British market but he will fill the gap here as we appear to love all things from the US of A and of course he will appeal to the US home market which I'm sure is part of the BBCs marketing plan. Sabine is the stand out winner, easy on the eye and blokey enough with the potty mouth that her superb driver skills will be admired rather than mocked by the most critical of Australian males. Ironically I think she would have been perfect as an addition to the old team.
This just leaves Chris Evans. It was always going to be a hard gig. Everyone was/is going to hate him. And quite frankly he is going to get the stuffing kicked out of him. The chemistry between him a Matt LaBlanc was forced, something that immediately set the show apart from the original team. But the worst thing was he screamed and shouted everything he said and it was just plan annoying.
The sad thing though is that because it is still a well made and produced show, in a year no one will will remember the old show.

[s7000]

Ep 2 wasn't any better than the first. I think the most frustrating part is that the writers haven't changed their style... Evans obviously wouldn't want to copy Clarkson, but things like the commentry on the fast laps need to change... The words used just don't match the voice you hear.


The sad thing though is that because it is still a well made and produced show, in a year no one will will remember the old show.

Not true... The presenters are a huge part of the show, and as well produced as it is, if they don't find their mark they'll end up failing...

In the end, the current show looks like a knock off of the original... I watch the US version and I like it because it's not like what they tried with the Aussie version... They've made it their own show in a way...

[AllTerr]

Looks like Chris Evans threw in the towel already

Chris Evans quits as main host of BBC's Top Gear - ABC
https://apple.news/AUeRHjapGSqmCFLCB-0gGIA

[Homestar]

Wow, that didn't take long.

I tried to watch the first couple of episodes in the end - didn't get more than 10 minutes into the first one, but gave the second one a go in case the first wasn't what it should have been. Made it 10 minutes into that as well.

I can't see a way forward for it, the ratings in Britain are awful as well.

[BMKal]

I read somewhere that LeBlanc basically gave the producers an ultimatum - either Chris Evans goes or he does, as he couldn't work with him. So it appears that Evans has been "pushed" - and I believe that was definitely the right decision.

Without him, the show might have a chance. With him, it had no chance. He is an annoying little ponce who never should have been given a run in my opinion.

Other than Evans and his screeching voice, I don't mind the new show - though I do agree with others comments that they should come up with some new programming and stop trying to "copy" the past format so closely, especially the "wording". A lot of it simply doesn't work without the likes of Clarkson, Hammond and May to carry it off.

[DiscoMick]

It's a tough gig. If you copy the past they criticize you for not being original; if you change the show they criticize you for not keeping it like in the past.
Obviously the chemistry isn't right between the new presenters. The best part of the previous show was the relationships between the three presenters.
I hope they figure it out.

[vnx205]

I have seen only one episode of the new series and disliked the way the presenters overdid the excitement and amusement.

If they had relaxed a bit, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more. They just seemed to be trying too hard.

Even Sabine managed to annoy me. :(

[Fifth Columnist]

TV chef James Martin's lined up to take Chris Evans' place.
He's got a great collection of classic cars.